“This is one lacerative muther of an ale. It is unequivocally certain that your feeble palate is grossly inadequate and thus undeserving of this liquid glory…and those around you would have little desire to listen to your resultant whimpering. Instead, you slackjawed gaping gobemouche, slink away to that pedestrian product that lures agog the great unwashed with the shiny happy imagery of its silly broadcast propaganda. You know, the one that offers no challenge, yet works very, very hard to imbue the foolhardy with the absurd notion that they are exercising ‘independent’ thought, or attempts to convey the perception it is in some way ‘authentic’ or ‘original.’ It’s that one that makes you feel safe and delectates you into basking in the warm, fuzzy, and befuddled glow of your own nescience. Why so many allow themselves to be led by the nose lacks plausible explanation. Perhaps you have been so lulled by the siren song of ignorance that you don’t even notice your white-knuckle grip on it. You feel bold and unique, but alas are nothing but sheep, willingly being herded to and fro. If you think you are being piqued in this text, it is nothing when compared to the insults we are all asked to swallow streaming forth from our televisions and computers. Truth be told, you are being coddled into believing you are special or unique by ethically challenged “pay no attention to the man behind the curtain” marketers who layer (upon layer) imagined attributes specifically engineered to lead you by the nose. Should you decide to abdicate your ability to make decisions for yourself, then you are perhaps deserving of the pabulum they serve. Double Bastard Ale calls out the garrulous caitiffs who perpetrate the aforementioned atrocities and demands retribution for their outrageously conniving, intentionally misleading, blatantly masturbatory and fallacious ad campaigns. We demand the unmitigated, transparent truth. We demand forthright honesty. We want justice! Call ‘em out and line ‘em up against the wall… NOW.” 11.2% ABV American Strong Ale

Purchased from BevMo in Fresno, California

The Pour:

Poured from a 22 oz bomber into a snifter. The color is dark amber red, but actually pretty clear. A thin, off-white head is poured, which dissipates almost entirely and leaves minimal lacing on the glass. Hardly any carbonation is visible.

I did get two different pours from this beer. The second part of the bottle was much hazier and hoppier, and judging from the sediment in the bottle Double Bastard is bottle conditioned.

The Nose:

Double Bastard has a huge aroma profile. Rich, syrupy toffee and caramel malts are upfront, combined with dark dried fruits, booziness, and surprisingly light (for this brew) floral hop characteristics. It carries many characteristics of an American barley wine.

The Mouth:

Double Bastard is very rich-bodied and full feeling going down. Intense flavors of syrupy dark fruit and heavy malts hit the palate. A bit of brown sugar also sneaks in, as well as some alcohol bite. Tons of bitterness comes through in the aftertaste, but works in concert with the malts instead of becoming overbearing, as is the case in the regular Arrogant Bastard.

Final Thoughts:

I certainly found Double Bastard to be more palatable than Arrogant Bastard, mainly due to the revved up malt base that balances the crazy amount of bittering hops. It has a very complex and bold character, which gives a very enjoyable drinking experience through and through. As stated above, it really teeters on the line of being a barley wine, sharing many base characteristics with the style. This is definitely a sipping beer due to its huge body and high ABV, one that would be really interesting to pair with a dessert. 9/10

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Ratings System

9-10: Absolutely amazing. The best of the best!
7-8: Above average to nearly great. Give it a shot!
5-6: Decent, but flawed. If it's your style of beer, go for it! If not, you probably won't miss much from passing it up.
3-4: Something's not right here. Not worth your time.
0-2: Absolutely terrible! Undrinkable death-swill from the depths of Hell!